The following image was taken from the sliding door of our stateroom.
Our morning activity: from Viking: “Ubud Discovery & Rice Terraces See Balinese Decorative Arts and Artistry in Agriculture — Explore the museum and marketplace of Ubud, and discover the remarkable rice terraces of Tegallalang. Drive to the Puri Lukisan Museum to view local artwork and take a short walk to a nearby market, where you can spend time browsing colorful stalls with your guide. Then, head to Tegallalang, where the region’s iconic rice terraces are maintained through a unique system of cooperative water management called “subak.” Subak involves elaborate engineering and shared labor. It is integral to agriculture and community life, as well as local spiritual traditions, and as a result, is featured on the UNESCO Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage.” Note: We visited the market listed above and did not take any photos as it was of limited interest.
We drove to Ubud, a famous artistic center in Bali, and visited the Puri Lukisan Museum. A nice facility with interesting grounds. We were unable to take many photos as time was very limited (a frustration throughout today’s activity). Traffic was very heavy, and the time at every stop was insufficient.
We visited the Tegalalang Rice Terraces. Multiple rice terraces are actively maintained and growing rice for harvest. Centuries ago, the terraces were carved into the hill. There are multiple walking paths throughout the venue. We walked around a bit and would have gone further, but time was limited. We had tea and rice snacks.
Given that this is a tourist area, there are touristy things to do. The park has a single-person zip line, a bicycle zip line, and a swing (?). All three were utilized during our visit. The two zip lines made sense to me, but I did not understand the attraction of the swing (but then I am probably not in the target market either).
As always, there were many interesting plants to look at during our tours. I have almost no knowledge of horticulture. If it looks different and interesting to me, I take a picture. The plants may not be exotic, but to me, they look unique and cool. Some of the plants are similar to ones we grow at home, but are different species.
Miscellaneous images from the day. The first photo shows the narrow and wet streets that made our bus tour so tight on time (it rained on and off all day, sometimes heavily). The second image is the market in Ubud that we visited for a very short time. Image three shows more neat roundabout statues. Because the Ubud area is the heart of Bali’s arts and crafts, we saw many shops selling all kinds of interesting, handcrafted items: images four and five. The last three photos are of interesting buildings and temples.
The following display of the Barong spirit caught Cheryl’s eye. We learned yesterday that Barong is a panther-like creature and character in the Balinese mythology. He is the king of spirits, the leader of the hosts of good. The statue was in the cruise terminal, and it was pretty fun to walk by as we got on and off the ship.
I found the following image concerning. Clearly, the implementation would never be approved in the United States or many other countries we have visited. Such wiring is prevalent throughout the island. Our tour guide told us that residents are allowed to do their own wiring when building a single-family home. Many are electrocuted every year when they try to connect to the system.
As always, the images and any videos in this posting are best viewed on the web page.